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Who We Are

Consulting for Leaders Who Dream to Make a Difference

We work with corporate and non-profit leaders who integrate social benefit as a way of doing business. You are meaning-driven by your work and ethic and you see yourself as a catalyst for change. You understand that by providing for social good you will attract customers, clients and donors to your company or cause.

The art of business is your strong suit -- not necessarily philanthropy -- so you may struggle with putting together an effective charitable program that meets your company's goals -- one that has scope, scalability, emotional reach and results big enough to get the job done.

As a leader for change, you don't just want to make a gift and be done. You want to leverage your passion to accomplish more.

At AB Funding Solutions nonprofit consulting, we are expert in all phases of developing a philanthropic program for corporations and non-profits which may include legal and regulatory issues, message development, corporate culture implementation, major donor campaigns, general public campaigns, websites, program oversight.

Let us help you achieve your greatest dreams.

​The Need

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​​Vision

​Our Clients

Everyone on the AB Funding team has been on the frontline of raising money for worthy charities. We have all walked the walk. We have lived the challenges and have all demonstrated expertise and results. We have experience working as vice presidents, executive directors, directors of development and specialists, such as grant writers or event planners. We’ve successfully raised money for small operations, mid-sized, national and multi-national charities.

​We are Distinct

Andrea Barnes founded AB Funding Solutions after having spent her entire career raising money for worthy non-profit organizations. Our company exists because we believe in the nobility of raising money for great charitable causes and facilitating the growth and development of the people who do this work – board members, executive directors, development staff, volunteers and social entrepreneurs. Our programs develop fundraising and advocacy competencies, strengthen the individual’s personal conviction and resolve to do the work and help to develop institutional cultures that respect, support and nurture the fundraising role to ensure the highest possibility of success. Only when the development role is competently and passionately staffed can the vital work of the life-changing, life-saving charity be realized.

Importantly, you don’t engage in fundraising work without developing a deep love and commitment for the donors. Our training helps the charity and their team to work with their donors from a place of integrity and full commitment. Our philosophy teaches that the correct relationship with the donor is based on advocacy and the desire for the best outcome for all concerned. Only then are the donor’s rights protected; they are empowered to make their desired impact on societal good.

​Mission

​Values

Generating unprecedented support for good through informing, developing and training charity teams in the art and science of raising money.

Contact us for a free one-hour strategy session

Our Vision, Mission and Values

AB Funding Solutions Nonprofit Consulting and Corporate Philanthropy

TEAM - Engaging Trainers and Consultants who are expert in their fieldCLIENTS - Delivering valuable training that develops fundraising competency, integrity and confidence among the key constituencies in your organizationOUTCOMES – Focusing our work so that charities can grow their bottom lines and fulfill the promise of their mission of changing lives and improving our communities.LEVERAGE – Helping for-profit companies leverage their role in society to generate social good while building a great companies and productsACCESS – Providing world-wide access to our products and training to effect change in every community

Finding qualified fundraising or development staff is a major challenge facing non-profits all over the charity sector. According to Underdeveloped, a National Study of Challenges Facing Nonprofit Fundraising, “There has been widespread concern in the nonprofit sector about premature turnover of development directors, lengthy vacancies in the role, and the seemingly thin pool of qualified candidates from which organizations can choose. The development director is commonly labeled a “revolving door” position, and ‘the hardest to fill and retain’ by executives, board members, funders, and capacity builders alike”. My personal experience is that rarely is someone looking out for the development staff. Development staff members are often isolated and disconnected from the core work of the charity which leads to burnout, job dissatisfaction and high turnover.

In 2014 generous individuals, foundations, and corporations donated $358 billion to charities in the United States. However, the competition for that funding was fierce among the 1.5 million charities registered with the IRS with an estimated 2.3 million organizations total charities (including schools and churches) that are qualified to receive charitable donations. More than 60% of these charities are small, generating less than $500,000 in revenue annually. What makes the difference between the truly successful charities and the charities that struggle to be viable? Research shows that successful organizations have been able to develop something called a culture of philanthropy – a culture that emphasizes the vital role fundraising plays in the overall health of a charity and acknowledges that each person within the charity has a fundraising role to play.

Competent fundraising staff and leadership at the Executive Director and Board level are all needed to create a culture of philanthropy and successful fundraising programs at any non-profit. However, when surveyed, over half of the Executive Directors reported they can’t find qualified people to run their fundraising staffs. According to Underdeveloped, for many organizations, Director of Development positions have been vacant for 6 months or even years. “More than half (53%) of executives reported that their most recent development director hiring process attracted an insufficient number of candidates with the right mix of skills and experience”. There aren’t enough University programs teaching development coursework across the country to serve the needs of 2.3 million charities.

Because of this shortage, highly qualified development staff members command competitive salaries in the market. Younger non-profits seeking to hire their first Development Director often can’t afford salaries commanded by experienced candidates.

One solution is to invest in quality training programs for your own committed staff and new young professionals. While there are tremendous organizations who support the work of nonprofits such as local nonprofit associations and fundraising associations, few have comprehensive courses that provide development staff with a solid foundation in the art and science of the fund development profession.

​Our Purpose

We serve non-profit and social good corporate clients seeking support for their philanthropic processes. Our clients live primarily in English-speaking countries where charitable donations are recognized as tax-advantaged transactions. We serve clients both on-line and on-site. Specifically our services support the fundraising function for:

Non-profit executive directorsNon-profit development staffNon-profit general staff and teamsNon-profit volunteers and board membersSocial entrepreneurs seeking to incorporate charity as a way of doing business